Healthcare workers are increasingly at risk of disease transmission, and nurses perform the majority of invasive hypodermic procedures, such as injecting medicine, collecting blood and inserting indwelling intravenous (I.V.) catheters. Nurses and other healthcare personnel are routinely injured by the exposed, sharp lancet of the needle after use on a patient. The critical time where a percutaneous injury can occur is from the moment the needle is withdrawn from the patient, or I.V. port, to the time the contaminated needle is safely discarded.
Prior to the proliferation of HIV and serum hepatitis, a needle stick injury was considered a routine part of providing patient care. A needle stick injury now carries a life-threatening consequence and healthcare workers must live with this terror on a daily basis. Hence, there is a requirement for a low-cost safety needle protector apparatus with a universal application which shall prevent accidental contact of a medical professional or any other person with the sharp tip of the needle after use of the disposable medical device and thus prevent possible transmission of an infectious disease such as hepatitis, HIV, etc.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a needle safety assembly which provides reliable protection against accidental pricking by a hypodermic needle and which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
This object is satisfied by a needle safety assembly comprising a needle and a protective cover for the needle, wherein the needle is attached to a needle hub which has wings provided on opposite sides of the needle hub and which can be moved relative to the protective cover from a position of use in which at least the tip of the needle is outside of the protective cover into a retracted position in which the needle is fully received in the protective cover, wherein the protective cover is of generally tubular shape and defines two opposite axial slots which extend from a distal end of the protective cover towards a tubular base portion of the protective cover, wherein the slots are adapted to receive the wings when the needle hub moves into the protective cover, and wherein the needle safety assembly further comprises a locking mechanism adapted to secure the needle hub inside the protective cover when the needle hub is in the retracted position.